PINEHURST, North Carolina, 19 June 2005 — Veteran American Peter Jacobsen, boosted by a hole-in-one, made the first significant move in the US Open third round yesterday as the overnight leaders prepared for late tee-offs.
The 51-year-old, who achieved the first ace of the tournament using a seven-iron at the par-three ninth, was four under for the day and only three off the pace with seven holes to play.
Competing in his first US Open since 1996, Jacobsen started out at five over following opening rounds of 72 and 73 but dropped a shot at the par-four second to slip back.
However, the US Senior Open champion rallied with birdies on four and seven before acing the ninth to reach the turn in three-under 32 in bright sunshine at Pinehurst’s No. 2 course.
The oldest player left in the tournament then birdied the par-five 10th to get to one over and within three of the lead.
Level with Jacobsen was 2001 US PGA champion David Toms, after three holes, and British Ryder Cup player Luke Donald, after two.
With overnight pacesetters Retief Goosen, Olin Browne and Jason Gore yet to tee off, most of the early starters failed to make much of an impact on one of the US Open’s toughest layouts. Twice champion Ernie Els, struggling off the tee, returned a two-over-par 72 to finish at nine-over 219 while Phil Mickelson, winner of last year’s US Masters, was also at nine over with five holes to play. Best scores in the clubhouse were 70s returned by the American trio of Justin Leonard, Davis Love III and John Cook, who completed 54-hole totals of 217.
Mexico’s Ochoa Vaults Into Top Spot at Wegmans Rochester
In Pittsford, New York, Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa shot a three-under 69 in Friday’s second round of the $1.5 million Wegmans Rochester LPGA, taking a two-shot lead over first-round leader Becky Morgan and Maria Hjorth at eight-under 136.
After Morgan faltered with three straight bogeys to complete her second round at two-over, Ochoa carded four birdies - two each on the front and back nine - and a bogey to vault to the top of the leaderboard.
Ochoa, who has three runner-up finishes this year and was second to Rachel Teske in this event two years ago, got off to an inauspicious start by missing a three-foot putt to bogey the first hole.
She did not drop a shot the rest of the way, however, and became the only player with scores in the 60s in each of the first two rounds. The 23-year-old Ochoa has finished in the top 10 six times in her 10 events this season, including seconds in the Safeway International, the LPGA Takefuji Classic and most recently the Franklin American Mortgage Championship on May 1. She knows she still has plenty of work to do in order to notch her first win since August.
Hjorth opened with a birdie on the par-four 10th hole en route to a 70, joining Morgan for a share of second at six-under.
Paula Creamer, who won the Sybase Classic on May 22 — one week before her high school graduation — fired a 68 to move into sole possession of fourth at 5-under overall.
Starting on the back nine and battling a wrist injury, Creamer birdied three of her first four holes and was in second before the afternoon tee times. South Korea’s Mi Hyun Kim, who was runner-up to Kim Saiki in this event last year, carded a 66 for the best round of the day and moved into fifth at four-under overall.
Beginning with No. 8, Kim carded four straight birdies and finished with seven birdies over her final 11 holes. Saiki ired four birdies through her first eight holes but carded four bogeys the rest of the way, including three in a row. She is tied for 27th at 1-over overall.
